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What is your personal Star Trek canon?

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Another Star Trek thread that I believe deserves its own space....  Considering this is a crowd of Star Wars fans who in general do not like to accept every Star Wars-related story as canonical, (with some just accepting ANH and ESB, some just accepting the complete OT, some accepting the PT and OT, some accepting certain aspects of EU and not others, etc.), and considering that a thread discussing this flexible personal canon already exists, I thought a similar thread for Trek would be appropriate.

I never thought I would enjoy the Trek novels, especially considering how inconsistent they could be with each other and with movies/episodes that followed later.  However, I lately have realized what a treasure some of them can be, and their lack of cohesiveness is really an opportunity to more easily disregard stuff you don't care for (I'm already pretty flexible in my concept of 'canonical' anyway).

At this point, partly due to ignorance, my personal canon accepts episodes and films related to TOS, TNG, plus TAS.  But I'm starting to explore a different, parallel personal canon (in other words, it may conflict at points with the established canon, but in my head, I'm looking at an alternative canon without disregarding the established stuff).  I'm considering all the James Blish short stories based on TOS episodes, all the Alan Dean Foster stories based on TAS episodes, all the book novelizations, and I'm starting to explore other novels with the TOS crew to flesh it out.  As I've said elsewhere, I'm looking at stuff to tell more about the Enterprise under Robert April or Christopher Pike, the years between TOS and TMP, and the years between TMP and TWOK (wherein many say a second 5 year mission took place).  I think I will really enjoy this.

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My personal canon consists of a Star Trek universe that exists solely within my head - Spock is the result of genetic engineering, full blooded Vulcans & Romulans have green skin, the Eugenics Wars occurred after the formation of the Federation, most human aliens are human offshoot species, two transporters are needed in order for transportation to work, the Mirror Universe was created by time travel, universal translators are more realistic and less universal, Pike has a cooler looking wheelchair, etc. - its loosely inspired by TOS, some of TNG, and a few comics, but that's all - nothing that occurs in any of the series, movies, comics, etc. happens concretely as shown.

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Thus far I've yet to encounter anything in the prime universe I'd disregard as non-canon. Abrams' Trek is just the weird dreams of a young Wesley Crusher as far as I'm concerned. =P Granted, I haven't read too much Trek. So stuff like Shatner's little journey with Kirk into the 24th century....I dunno haven't read it but that could be shakey. =P

One thing I can tell you with certainty though is that this book:

Is DEFINITELY a part of my personal Trek Canon. =P

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Tobar said:


One thing I can tell you with certainty though is that this book:

http://i.imgur.com/9MFaLQc.jpg

Is DEFINITELY a part of my personal Trek Canon. =P


http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire3/0e592dc147f39d13e2bbe42615f56f0f1239067105_full.jpg

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Dang, I couldn't find my copy of the book but there's a brilliant part where they realize Captain Picard and Professor Xavier bare a striking resemblance to each other. This having been published LONG before the films were even a twinkle in the eye of Bryan Singer. =P

On the plus side, while I couldn't find that book I did find quite a few Trek novels I own but never took the time to read. Including one I don't recall ever purchasing. Apparently it's the first book in a mini-series about Section 31. And I had thought I'd never heard of them before watching DS9. Definitely a contender for the next spot in my reading list.

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Insurrection, Nemesis and most of Voyager never happened.

 

I can live with pretty much everything else though.

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My canon is TOS, TNG, DS9, and the films up to and including Generations.

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timdiggerm said:

There are certainly parts of TOS that should not be held as canon by anyone. "United Earth Space Probe Agency", anyone?

I don't know about that.  Like the individual assignment patches, they still reference it in Enterprise, so apparently they were trying to make that fit in to everything else.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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Gaffer Tape said:

timdiggerm said:

There are certainly parts of TOS that should not be held as canon by anyone. "United Earth Space Probe Agency", anyone?

I don't know about that.  Like the individual assignment patches, they still reference it in Enterprise, so apparently they were trying to make that fit in to everything else.

Yeah, you can retcon all you want, but the universe makes a little more sense if you recognize that they were still figuring stuff out and it doesn't count.

ROTJ Storyboard Reconstruction Project

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Well, obviously, that's the case, but if you can somehow work it into a way that fits in-universe as well, then more power to you.  Don't know why you'd want to ignore it if it still manages to work almost totally seamlessly.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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timdiggerm said:


There are certainly parts of TOS that should not be held as canon by anyone. "United Earth Space Probe Agency", anyone?


Or that lame time travel episode with the secret agent and his alien cat.

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DuracellEnergizer said:

timdiggerm said:


There are certainly parts of TOS that should not be held as canon by anyone. "United Earth Space Probe Agency", anyone?

Or that lame time travel episode with the secret agent and his alien cat.
Hey, that was a genius move on Roddenberry's part. His semi-popular sci-fi show was probably going to be cancelled, so he used the budget from it's last episode to build sets and cast for his next show, and try to tie it into the existing show.

Star Wars Revisited Wordpress

Star Wars Visual Comparisons WordPress

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Personally, I find the idea of making the series finale of one show the pilot episode of another entirely disagreeable - especially considering it was a pilot that was never picked up.

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DuracellEnergizer said:


My personal canon consists of a Star Trek universe that exists solely within my head ... its loosely inspired by TOS, some of TNG, and a few comics, but that's all


Just a quick correction - I forgot to add "some of the films" in there.

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The Final Reflection by John M. Ford

In my personal ST canon, this book has the true background of the Klingons and their culture.

 

“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison

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Bingowings said:

That is Star Wars!

This is Star Trek!

 

*grin*

“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison

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Sooooo.... Star Wars is a tit, and Star Trek is a dick ?

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doubleofive said:

WRONG... everything?

ALLOL

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DuracellEnergizer said:

Personally, I find the idea of making the series finale of one show the pilot episode of another entirely disagreeable - especially considering it was a pilot that was never picked up.

That wasn't the finale of TOS, it was the end of the second season. Mr. Seven, Isis, and Ms. Lincoln went on to have their "interesting experiences" in a series of novels published a few years back. Gary Seven has appeared in the comics over the years as well.

Backdoor pilots were stock and trade in the 60's. The Andy Griffith Show got it's start as an episode of The Danny Thomas Show, which then begat Gomer Pyle and Mayberry RFD.

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Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:



DuracellEnergizer said:

Personally, I find the idea of making the series finale of one show the pilot episode of another entirely disagreeable - especially considering it was a pilot that was never picked up.


That wasn't the finale of TOS, it was the end of the second season.


Yes, I know. There was chance it could have been the last episode of the entire series at the time, though, and if it had been, then the show would have gone out on a very lame note.